


Two Halves of One Heart

by Sakurasamuraix



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Denial of Feelings, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Musician Merlin, POV Arthur, Strangers to Friends to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-09
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-07 09:02:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17363039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sakurasamuraix/pseuds/Sakurasamuraix
Summary: Arthur was starting to feel inexplicably incomplete. Everywhere he went and everything he did was accompanied by a feeling that something (or even someone) was missing until, one night, a chance encounter with a musician named “Emrys” starts to change things...





	1. Void

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all potential readers, this is my first time writing anything on this site. I’m really excited to write about these two, and I hope that you guys enjoy reading it as much as i enjoy writing it! Most chapters are going to draw inspiration from a song, and in the notes I’ll put down the song title and artist, in case you want to give it a listen!  
> The first chapter’s song is Void by The Neighbourhood

There is perhaps no feeling worse than that of loneliness. Anger might blind, sorrow may incapacitate, guilt may corrode, but loneliness consumes all. It’s a parasite that latches on and feeds off of every other thought, every other feeling. Arthur found himself plagued by that parasite. He couldn’t enjoy anything anymore, every joyous moment is accompanied by a horribly hollow feeling that something, or perhaps someone, is missing.

He tried to lock up those feelings, to do his best to enjoy the night. The lights, the music, the company. Yet, Sitting amongst his friends, all in high spirits, as they usher in a new year, he still felt so alone.  
“3...2...1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!!” Everyone cheered in unison, everyone except Arthur.  
“Resolution time everyone! What are you all going to do to attempt to be decent human beings this year?” Morgana, Arthur's sister, shouted over the blaring music as she began searching for something, feeling around the side table until she located the remote to lower the music volume.  
“Alright, I’ll start us off” Gwen, who was seated on the couch next to Morgana, offered “This year… I’ll make more time for myself! I doubt I could make it any longer if I don’t!”

“You say this every year Gwen…” Elyan, Gwen’s brother chimed in.  
As they spoke, Arthur began to tune them out, allowing his thoughts to roam elsewhere, straight to the hollow feeling that was consuming his entire being. He couldn’t understand it. He was here, he was with his friends, he was having fun, and yet he wasn’t.

“Arthur, what about you” Morgana asked, reeling Arthur back to reality.

He paused for a moment, staring off in Morgana’s direction, trying to think of something to say. He could go with the old travel more, or stop drinking, or find a new hobby or whatever. Something to satiate their need for an answer without digging to deep. He knows the question is just an innocuous tradition, he need not bare his true thoughts. Yet, when he went to speak, he couldn’t say anything. Well, he couldn’t say anything but...  
“I...I-I want to be happy.”  
____________________________________________________________________

The days following were not the best for Arthur. It seemed as if his choice of words regarding his New Years wish set off more alarms in his friends than he had anticipated. Everyone seemed to be treating him as if were terminally ill, or something equally terrible. His sister, Morgana, was being uncharacteristically kind, offering to stay the night and cook dinner. Gwen and Lancelot offered up multiple invitations to their place, and Gwen insisted that she would always be there to talk about anything Arthur may need to discuss. Gwaine and Leon offered a night at the pub, with drinks on them. Percival even offered up trips to gym. Everyone was attempting to help in whatever way they thought they could. Arthur was aware of their good intentions, and was truly touched by the sentiment, but he couldn’t help but refuse to indulge upon their offers. Something told him that none of these things would make a difference to his state of mind, in fact he worried they could make him feel worse.

Arthur assumed some time to himself could help him feel better. He slept in some, he went on longer evening runs, he watched some good old sitcoms, he ate his favorite meals, re-read his favorite book. He did everything he enjoyed, everything that usually made his days better. Yet nothing was enough to distract him from how hollow he felt. None of it was enough to really make him feel any better, any more… happy.

After a week of seclusion, Arthur decided he should stop acting like a hermit and try and go out with his friends again. Maybe he was wrong earlier, perhaps they could make him feel better, since he obviously wasn’t able to do anything to help himself. As fate would have it, a text came up in the group chat just before Arthur was able to draft one of his own.

**Morgana** : You know, we never did go to that one place, The Rising Sun  
**Morgana** : We should go there tonight, live music, drinks, sounds fun  
**Gwaine** : if there’s is alcohol, I’m sold  
**Percival:** Someone has to keep Gwaine in check  
**Leon** : I’m free  
**Gwen** : Lance and I would love to go! What time?  
**Elyan** : Can’t make it tonight, but you guys have fun  
**Morgana** : Sorry you can’t make it Elyan :(  
**Morgana** : I was thinking 9ish?

Arthur thought it over, he wanted to go, but for some inexplicable reason he felt nervous about it. After thinking it over as everyone started blowing up the chat group, Arthur sent his response.

**Arthur** : I’ll be there

____________________________________________________________________

In preparation for the night, Arthur had to clean himself up more than he had all week. He had to shave (unkempt stubble wasn’t a good look on him), he had to fix his hair, and he had to wear clothes that actually looked decent and weren’t just comfortable. It felt like such a chore, he almost opted to just stay put, but he knew that would just be worse so he sucked it up and forced himself to get ready. He decided to wear his favorite shirt, a grey baseball style shirt with dark red sleeves. The front of the shirt had a little gold dragon embroidered on the right side of the chest. Looking in the mirror one last time before heading out, Arthur smiled faintly, the shirt really did suit him.

Once outside of The Rising Sun, Arthur was again tempted to call off the night. He got those inexplicable nerves again as he stood in the cold air looking at the building. The place was decent, a standalone stone building of moderate size. It wasn’t a very high end place, not somewhere Arthur thinks he would ever go out of his way for, but decent enough for a night out with friends. One last deep breath before Arthur decided to start stepping towards the door, but just as he finished exhaling and began to lift his leg, someone roughly gripped his shoulder and shook him.  
“Arthur! It’s been forever mate!” Gwaine shouted  
“A week is hardly forever” Arthur responded dryly, flinching over the unexpected contact.  
“Oh but it is, princess! Someone has to be the butt of my jokes!” Gwaine exclaimed with a loud laugh and a wide smile.  
“He’s already drunk, but I bet you could tell. He’s very excited to see you” Percival spoke as he walked up to the pair. “I couldn’t stop him from running out of the car before I even parked it”  
“I couldn’t wait another second! Percy drives like an old woman! It’s dreadfully slow, I wasn’t going to get hurt jumping out of that car” Gwaine yelled, always a bit louder than he needed to be.  
“Excuse me for being SAFE, Gwaine, some of us don’t want to die tonight.” Percy retorted, his voice making it apparent he was getting a bit fed up with Gwaine.

Arthur couldn’t keep himself from chuckling at the conversation,

“Alright, let’s continue this inside, yeah?” Arthur said with a small smile

Walking into the building was notably more impressive than the somewhat dull exterior. The place was lively inside, but not insane, as some of the places they would visit were. There was a stage down in the middle of the building, a few tables were on the same level as the stage, but the bar and the majority of the seats were located on an upper level. Most of the room was made of heavy wood, the tables, the bar, the chairs, it almost gave it a sort of medieval feel to it. If it weren’t for a few sleek finishes, one could assume they had just walked into the past. On the stage a woman dressed in a rather ornate gown was singing something sort of operatic, it was an odd fit for the location, Arthur thought.  
It wasn’t long before Arthur located Morgana. He spotted her signature bracelet as she threw her arms in the air, likely having an argument of some sort, as she usually was. He led Gwaine and Percival down the stairs to the table where he saw Morgana.  
“ARTHUR!” Everyone at the table cheered excitedly as Arthur approached the table.  
He can’t deny that his friends excitement upon seeing him made him feel good. Though he knows his friends care for him, sometimes a good show of affection is needed to reassure himself.  
“Yes, your prince is here” Arthur replied smoothly, with a smirk tugging the side of his lips  
“Ha! Prince! I wouldn’t go that far, but you certainly have the ego to match!” Morgana retorted through a fit of laughter.  
Arthur nudged his sister’s shoulder as he claimed the seat next to her, a faint smile making its way to his mouth as he looked at her. Gwaine and Percival took their seats at the round table, in between Arthur and Leon.

The night proceeded as their usual nights out did, friendly banter, lots of drinks, Gwaine expressing his “love” to any relatively attractive person who caught his eye, Percival reeling him back every time. Arthur was relieved by the normalcy and was enjoying himself more than expected, yet he still felt something off. It wasn’t just the same lonely feeling he was used to, it was something different. It was something akin to bad nerves, but with a dash of embarrassment, and pinch of panic. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling, and Arthur wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, he just did his best to ignore it.  
“Ooh shh I think he’s coming on!” Morgana exclaimed to the group, swinging her arms in a sort of butterfly stroke above the table  
“Who is ‘he’?” Arthur questioned, less out of curiosity, and more as an act of defiance against his sister’s wish for him to quiet down.  
Morgana could seemingly recognize the intent behind Arthur’s question, and responded with a piercing glare, “Just hush!”  
Gwen leaned across the table towards Arthur, who positioned himself to meet her in the middle.  
“ his name is Emrys, Morgana and I saw him sing before, his voice… it’s like sorcery, very captivating.”  
As they both leaned back, Arthur nodded in Gwen’s direction to show his appreciation for a real answer. Now, Arthur was intrigued, he was a harsh critic for nearly everything, and music didn’t escape his scrutiny. He was fully preparing himself to analyze this next performer, who his sister seemingly adored, and point out all the reasons they weren’t as good as she thinks they are. Arthur affixed his gaze on the stage as this ‘Emrys’ came out. He set up nothing but a microphone stand and a keyboard. Immediately Arthur thought this wasn’t going to be any good, he didn’t have high expectations for what looked like no more than a scrawny uni student playing his keyboard. However, when ‘Emrys’ sat down, and Arthur got a look at his face, the mop of dark hair, the sharp high cheekbones, the clear blue eyes, and most notably, the somewhat over large ears, Arthur felt something he’s not sure he’s ever experienced. There was a tug in his chest, a flutter in his stomach, and a heat on his cheeks. That strange panicked feeling overtook him once again, as he tried to make sense of what had just happened when he saw this young man. He couldn’t put a finger on what that feeling was, but he couldn’t look away from the man as he continued to situate himself and prepare for his performance.

When Emrys began to play the keyboard, Arthur watched his slender hands as they smoothly landed on the keys, igniting the fluttering in his stomach. As words started to flow from the man’s mouth, Arthur’s gaze moved up from his hands to his full red lips, reinforcing the flush on his cheeks. The man’s voice was pleasant. Listening to smooth yet powerful vocals, Arthur forgot about the strange panicky feeling. During the performance Arthur could almost physically feel that hollowness inside him filling up. Arthur looked up towards the stage with wide eyes and a smile on his face, and for a moment, it seemed the man performing locked eyes with Arthur, as he sang the words  
“I need you to see the point, I need you to feel alive, I need you to fill the void”  
Then the tugging in Arthur’s chest intensified, his heartbeat grew faster and louder. Arthur felt complete in a way he hadn’t felt in a very long time, as if here he found the one thing that was missing from his life.

As Emrys concluded the song Arthur was completely spellbound. He broke out of his trance when instead of continuing to another song, the boy stood up. Emrys spoke into the microphone in a quiet voice, as if he were extremely uncomfortable “thank you” he blurted in a quick whisper like voice as he made an awkward bowing motion and proceeded to pick up his keyboard and make his way offstage. Arthur was disappointed as his eyes followed the man walking off until he was out of view, he was longing for more of the beautiful singing. Arthur didn’t have much time to dwell on it before Morgana’s voice ripped him out of his own thoughts and placed him back at the table with his friends.  
“Alright Arthur, I’m ready for your…” Morgana paused for a moment, causing Arthur to turn and face her. Her eyes grew wide as she noticed the faint pink blush on Arthur’s cheeks and the ever so slightly watery look about his eyes. “You actually enjoyed it, didn’t you?! HA! Can’t say I was expecting this!” Morgana exclaimed a little too cheerfully. “I-I, no! It was… I did not… i-it was dreadful. Yes, just… the, bad” Arthur attempted to refute his sisters claims just because he couldn’t stand to have her feel like she won in this situation, but he completely blundered the retort, further evidencing that he did in fact greatly enjoy the performance. “O-ho! Convincing! You seem to have liked it even more than I did!” Morgana said with a smirk, very proud of how flustered she had made Arthur.

Arthur looked away from his sister, forcing himself not to argue further with her, as he feared he would only embarrass himself again. He turned his gaze towards the bar and noticed a young man taking a seat. After a moment of deliberation Arthur realized that the dark haired man was Emrys, noted mostly by the small red neck scarf he was wearing. Suddenly Arthur felt two very conflicting urges, the first was to go over and strike up a conversation with the man perhaps tell him he loved the song, the second urge was to leave this place and get home. Arthur wasn’t sure what to make of either of those feelings, but he wasn’t given a chance to think much on them before he felt a hand roughly wrap around his torso and clasp his shoulder. “AH! Seems maybe Arthur fancied the songbird more than the song” Gwaine exclaimed with a loud chuckle right in Arthur’s ear. Arthur realized just then that he had been staring over at Emrys and quickly glanced back down at the table, feeling the redness in his cheeks spread. He was too late, however, as everyone had already noticed where he had been looking and stolen a glance themselves.  
“Well…” Morgana spoke in a low tone that alerted Arthur that she was about to do something he wouldn’t like “Seems I need to go have a chat with Emrys, get him to stop by so my brother can tell him just how much he fancied him then…” Arthur looked up in time to catch the devilish smirk Morgana had stretched across her face before she stood up and quickly made for the bar. Arthur was getting so flustered at this point that he couldn’t make out anything to say, all he knew is that urge he had to leave the bar was now so loud in his head that he had to get out as fast as possible. He didn’t feel ready to meet Emrys yet, he was afraid, or perhaps embarrassed, he wasn’t sure which, or why for that matter, only that he was feeling one of them. Once Arthur noticed Morgana motion towards their table and Emrys turn to look towards them he panicked and shot up out of his chair. “I’ve, uh, got to go. I've got some… things in the morning. Important things! Goodnight!”Arthur blurted out in a rush.  
“Arthur, we’re only teasing! No need to get so worked up.” Leon said calmly  
“No, I’m not worked up, just have… things in the morning, see you later!” Arthur replied, getting more panicked as it seemed Emrys was standing up to follow Morgana to the table. “Yup, gotta go, bye!” Arthur blurted out as he swiftly turned and began to make his way towards the exit, he could hear his friends calling his name and beckoning him to return but he pressed onwards. Once he finally made it to the safety and solitude of his car, he gave himself time to think. Whatever just happened was not normal. Arthur did not get flustered like that, nothing was making any sense.  
It couldn’t have been attraction, no, his friends were wrong. Arthur was just impressed with the unexpected talent Emrys had showcased, nothing more. After Arthur had come to a conclusion on how to rationalize his feelings, he ran his hand across his face a proceeded to drive home.

Once Arthur walked through the door of his flat he decided he ought to go straight to bed. He peeled his shirt off as he made his way to the bathroom and cast it onto the floor beside his bed. Once inside the bathroom Arthur turned on the faucet to start heating up the water, he felt a buzz in his pocket that was quickly followed by several more buzzes prompting him to pull his phone out and see what was going on. He noticed a lot of attachments in the messages his friends were sending, so he opted to walk over to the door and toss his phone onto his bed so he could look at it later without being bothered by the alerts. After splashing some hot water on his face and brushing his teeth, Arthur left the bathroom to change into some more comfortable pants. When he walked over to his dresser he could hear the continued relentless buzzing of his phone, making him very curious as to what his friends were still clamoring over. Once Arthur was changed he climbed into his bed and picked up his phone to finally see what all the commotion was about. He had to scroll a few times to get to get to the pictures that came while he was in the bathroom. The pictures were of all of his friends with Emrys. The first was a standard group shot, rather stiff and a little uncomfortable looking, Emrys stood in the middle with an ear to ear grin so wide his eyes looked like little half moons. Arthur felt a sort of fluttery feeling looking at Emrys like that, he couldn’t help but smile. Arthur got a bit embarrassed when he realized he was looking at the man a bit too much, so he clicked over to the second picture. This one was of just Morgana with Emrys, Morgana had her arms around his shoulder and her cheek pressed up against his. Morgana was certainly very comfortable with him, Emrys on the other hand, looked very uncomfortable. He had his back hunched a bit and his shoulders were scrunching up towards his neck, but he still wore that wide grin across his face. The next few images were his other friends posing with Emrys, Gwaine’s in particular stood out as he was laying a kiss on Emrys’ cheek garnering a wide eyed surprised look from the dark haired man. In the background Percival was facing towards Gwaine and looking a bit tense, as he usually did when Gwaine started getting touchy with people. Arthur felt a bit regretful about leaving when he did, he felt left out and also a bit jealous that everyone got so comfortable with Emrys. He was getting too tired to read through all the messages that followed the pictures, so he scrolled through them to get the gist of the conversation. Essentially Morgana was poking fun at Arthur for leaving early, and everyone else was just commenting on the pictures, nothing of particular interest. Arthur locked his phone and set it on his bedside table then proceeded to flip off the lamp. With the room now dark and silent (thanks to his friends finally calming down on the group chat) he was finally ready to get some rest. Arthur rolled over on his side and closed his eyes. He thought back to the beaming smile Emrys had in that picture with his friends and then the lyrics Emrys sang ran through his mind again, “I need you to fill the void”. A smile made its way across Arthur’s face again as he lie there almost asleep, letting the words run through his head one last time before he dozed off.  
“I need you to fill the void”


	2. Saturday Sun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a bit later than I intended, I got distracted by all the things a new semester brings, but I think given the chapter title today is more fitting anyways! I appreciate the positive feedback you guys have given! Brings a smile to my face, I hope you enjoy this next chapter!   
> This one doesn’t feature any lyrics, but the title is after the song Saturday Sun by Vance Joy

When Arthur awoke that morning he felt more energized than he had felt in a long time. He sprang out of his bed with a smile on his face as he stretched his arms above his head. Arthur couldn’t explain why, but he felt like today was an exceptionally good day. Something was going to happen today, something that was different than just any other day. After stretching, Arthur immediately got changed into athletic gear to prepare himself for a morning run. The energy surging through his body made him wonder if today would be the day he broke his current personal record. The prospect of a great run had Arthur grinning wide as he laced up his sneakers. Once his laces were secured, Arthur popped up and went to snag his phone from the counter and plug in his ear buds. When he turned on his phone he noticed for the first time that he woke up and got ready almost a full two hours earlier than he normally did, especially on a Saturday. He was pleasantly surprised at the idea that he might have some extra time he wasn’t used to having. Today really was shaping up to be amazing. After picking a good song to start the run off to, Arthur exited his flat, very eager to get going.

Usually Arthur didn’t think too much when he ran. Generally this time was an opportunity for him to escape everything, all his thoughts and his responsibilities. When he was running nothing else mattered aside from the act of running itself. But today was a little different, Arthur had his thoughts elsewhere while he ran. At first it started with him noticing the music he was listening to a little more than usual. The focus on the beat of the song put a bit of rhythm into his steps, he felt that this was a good thing, the pep in his step pushed him to go faster. Then he started actually hearing the lyrics of the song far more clearly than he usually did. Arthur found himself almost wanting to dance a bit, which was a strange urge that he wasn’t quite sure why he was feeling. The urge was too strong to fight off completely and Arthur started to move his shoulders and torso more rhythmically as he ran. Arthur wondered briefly if he looked odd to the people he was passing on the streets, but quickly dismissed the thought when he decided it didn’t matter, he was enjoying himself. After a while Arthur thought something else, listening to the music, he wondered what the song would song like if Emrys was the one singing it. That thought was accompanied by the memory of his voice ringing in Arthur’s head, and a flash of the image of Emrys smiling wide. Arthur felt his face start to burn more furiously against the cool air. Before he even realized it, Arthur had finished his entire usual route and was standing in front of his flat once again. Checking the time, he smiled wide. Personal record broken.

Nearly every Saturday morning Arthur made some time to go to his favorite coffee shop for a bit, to relax and recoup from his run. It was a nice comfortable little place with a pleasant ambiance about it that Arthur really enjoyed. Normally, he went straight there, still all sweaty and hot, but thanks to the early start, Arthur thought he would clean up before going there, he preferred to feel clean anyways and assumed that the rest of the people in the shop would probably prefer that he was clean too. He made a quick trip into his flat to shower, and change into a long sleeve tee shirt and a pair of jeans before heading back out, making sure to slip on his black pea coat before exiting. 

Once Arthur arrived at the coffee shop, he was happy to see there were a few less people than normal, making for a quieter trip and a quicker drink. As Arthur made his way to the counter, mentally going over the order he was about to place, he heard the dark haired man in front of him start to speak with a distressed tone  
“No, no, I’m sure I’ve got it here somewhere, hold on. I’m sorry” Arthur noticed the man start to frantically feel around the pockets of his faded brown overcoat, reaching in some of them to see if something was in them. When he seemed to find nothing in his coat he padded down the pockets of his dark wash skinny jeans, which also evidently did not contain what he was searching for.   
“Sir…” the girl at the register began to speak cautiously, “you are holding up other customers… if you can't pay…”  
Arthur, realizing what was going on, quickly decided to step up to the counter and hand the cashier his card.  
“His drink is on me” Arthur said nodding his head sideways in the direction of the dark haired stranger. He then proceeded to place his own order and move to the pick up area as the other worker began preparing the two drinks.  
Arthur could hear footsteps approach him from the side, prompting him to turn and face the source of the sound.  
“Thanks for that” the man said “I can’t believe I forgot my wallet and didn’t even realize it. It’s embarrassing.”  
Arthur eyes grew wide as the dark haired man spoke to him. Arthur recognized him, the hair, the eyes, the ears. The man who’s drink he just purchased was the singer from last night. Arthur started to feel that odd nervous feeling he had been feeling the night prior.  
“Emrys!?” Arthur blurted out sounding a bit excited, mentally chastising himself for his uncouth behavior.   
“Uh, yeah… that’s, well, most people call me Merlin actually.” The man responded, furrowing his brow as he turned his gaze downward and brought his right arm up behind his head, seeming to be surprised at being recognized. “I didn’t think someone like you would recognize me” he finished with a quiet chuckle  
“What is that supposed to mean?” Arthur responded curiously, his tone somewhat defensive  
“Oh, n-nothing its just that most people who recognize me by that name are not…” Merlin paused for a moment as he eyed Arthur up and down, biting his lip slightly as he looked back at Arthur’s face “Fit blonde guys”  
Arthur wasn’t exactly sure what to make of the seemingly complementary nature of his last comment, but he could feel a slight flutter in his stomach at the words.   
“Right… well, I saw you sing last night and I…” Arthur paused a moment to contemplate his next words “I really enjoyed it.” Arthur settled on a simple form of praise rather than any of the more vivid ways he could have described how the experience made him feel.  
“Thanks” Merlin replied a bit quietly, casting his gaze the floor again. Even with his face tilted downward Arthur could make out that the man had a smile on his face, the sight tugged a little at Arthur’s chest.   
“I’ve got two drinks here for Arthur” the coffee shop employee spoke from the counter, forcing Arthur to stop looking at Merlin and go grab the drinks.   
“Here” Arthur said with a slight smile as he handed Merlin his drink  
“Thanks!” Merlin said with a wide smile, the same ear-to-ear, eye scrunching grin he had on his face in the picture with Arthur’s friends. Arthur felt his nerves come to a peak as he blurted out a question  
“Would you like to join me?” Arthur spoke quickly, feeling the nerves dissipate after the initial question was asked, allowing him to add in some more “you could pay me back with…” Arthur looked at the receipt for the price of Merlin’s drink “five dollars and three cents worth of company” Arthur said with a slight smile.  
Merlin looked back at Arthur, eyes wide, waiting a moment to speak  
“Y-yeah, I’d… yeah that sound good!” Merlin replied sounding a bit sheepish, a smile tugging at the side of his mouth.

The pair sat across from one another at a small table near the window. There was a moment of silence as each of them took sips from their drinks, then Merlin spoke.  
“You know, I never got your name…”   
“Oh! Right. It’s Arthur” Arthur replied, surprised to realize he hadn’t yet introduced himself.   
“Arthur… Pendragon?” Merlin asked with an unsure voice, his eyes were squinted slightly as he asked the question.  
“Yeah… how did you know that?” Arthur asked, taken aback by being recognized.  
“Well, I met your sister, Morgana, last night, after I sang she came up to me at the bar. Yeah, she talked about you some…” Merlin looked down at his cup as he spoke, smiling faintly as he pushed it gently back and forth between his hands. “Anyways, when you said your name was Arthur, I had to ask if it was you…” there was a slight pause as Merlin stopped fiddling with his cup and looked up at Arthur. “It’s funny to run into you after she was just talking about you” Merlin said with a laugh.  
Arthur was worried when he heard Morgana spoke about him, he wondered if she had said anything embarrassing about him, she almost never shied away from any opportunity to mess with Arthur.   
“What did my sister say about me?” Arthur asked hesitantly, bracing himself for how bad it likely was going to be.  
“Oh… nothing much really…” Merlin replied looking down at his cup again, this time picking it up and swirling it around. He took another sip before putting it down and looking at Arthur again, his cheeks looking a bit more red than before. “Just that you really liked me-er, my singing.” Merlin bit his lip again as he finished speaking.  
Arthur noticed the odd slip in Merlin’s voice as he spoke, leading him to believe Morgana had said something that Merlin was leaving out.  
“I’m sure she said more than that, she loves to embarrass me, come on tell me, it’s probably not something I haven’t heard before.” Arthur prompted   
“Well…” Merlin dragged out, seeming to be contemplating what to say “She also said you can be a bit of an ass. Said you’ve got a big head too”   
Arthur was reading a retort, but just as he was opening his mouth to speak Merlin cut him off. “But you don’t seem bad to me, I mean, you bought my drink and you didn’t even know me, and you’ve been pleasant to talk to!” Merlin spoke quickly, his cheeks looking red again. Arthur forgot his retort against Morgana’s slander, and just smiled back at Merlin.

The two chatted for hours, their conversation came easily, as if they had been friends forever. Arthur mostly spoke about his sister and his friends, seeing as Merlin had met all of them. He spoke about what a pain Morgana was, how unpredictable Gwaine could be and all the trouble that he caused Percival, how reliable Leon was, how almost unbearably kind Lance and Gwen were, and how loyal Elyan, the only one in the group hadn’t met, was. Merlin spoke some of his friends, Will and Freya. From what Arthur could gather, Will sounded quite unlikeable, but Freya seemed quite nice. Arthur also found out Merlin was actually a medical student, aspiring to be a physician like his uncle, and that the singing was just a bit of a side gig to make some extra money to pay for school. Arthur felt it was a huge waste of potential not to pursue the kind of talent Merlin had full time, but he didn’t say anything. Instead he just shared that he was still finishing up his studies in business and finance, and was being prepared to work at his father’s company.

After a while, Merlin took out his phone, after a quick glance he spoke “Oh, damnit! I’ve really got to get going!” Merlin said springing up from his seat, his chair sliding backwards with a loud scrape from the force. Merlin pocketed his phone and look back at Arthur “I had a lovely time meeting with you, Arthur” Merlin spoke with a smile as he looked at Arthur.  
“It was nice meeting you too, Merlin” Arthur replied, smiling back as he shook Merlin’s hand, noticing a little too much that this was the first time he had spoken the man’s name. After a short pause Merlin started speaking again. “I’ll be singing again tonight, same place, if you- if you wanted to…”  
“Yeah, I’ll be there” Arthur spoke quickly before he even had time to think otherwise  
“Great! I’ll be sure to look for you then” Merlin, face growing red again before he went to push his chair back in. “Well, uh, see you tonight” Merlin said with a wave taking a few steps backwards.  
“Tonight” Arthur replied with a smile, feeling his cheeks start to burn a bit.   
Merlin nodded then turned and walked out of the shop, Arthur’s eyes followed him all the way out the door. 

Arthur was feeling like a thousand butterflies were set loose in his stomach, and his heart was racing. There was something about Merlin, he just couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Merlin made him feel strange, but in a way good way, a way that made him happy. He didn’t quite understand what it was, but something told him that he and Merlin were going to be good friends. Arthur smiled as he cleaned up the table they sat at, and made his way to exit the coffee shop himself. All he could think about as he walked back to his flat was how excited he was to see Merlin sing again. Today was a good day.


End file.
